My Lost Youth: Longfellow's Portland, Then and Now

Had Longfellow been back in Portland for the last launching from the Dyer Yards, he would not have known most of the thousands who gathered for the great event. As the ship is poised to slide into the waters of Casco Bay, Henry's birthplace is on its right.

According to <em>Mr. Goodhue Remembers Portland: Scenes from the Mid-19th Century</em>,
"Broad humor was not lacking during the festivity of the launch. A reporter from the Portland Transcript of February 28, 1994 recalled:

An old man by the name of Warren, who was slightly demented, was lowered aboard, dressed in full uniform and with a sword at this side. As the vessel went over the sea-wall the ways spread and she stuck in the mud, with somewhat disastrous effect to the martial-looking Warren, who was thrown to the deck in a most undignified manner."